"Sometimes some places, like some persons, attract your attention before you know why.
This was true for Caparzo.
Since I was a child I have dreamed of living in a place like this, immersed in the green, far from the chaos of big cities, where time seems to have stopped. Several years have passed and the surrounding beauty still amazes me. Montalcino is a set of smooth lines defended by the magnificence of the Amiata Mountain. Series of hills flee everywhere without visible interruptions, shaped in different ways by streams and gulleys that reforge together in the grey clay.
The colours and perfumes of seasons in Val d’Orcia are unique: from barren clays to golden tuffs, from the dark vegetation of woods to the bright vegetation of vineyards, from the blue of watercourses to the silvery foliage of olive trees. You can find all this in a glass of wine. Montalcino is the land of Brunello, made only with Sangiovese grapes.
In no other place this vine is able to transmit at best the distinctive features of its terroir.
With Caparzo I had the chance to test myself with a great Tuscan wine and become acquainted with the pride of an ancient agriculture.
It is a constant commitment that fills me with pride. Following the vines every day, seeing them grow, sprout and finally harvesting the fruit. You are aware of having worked hard, without neglecting any detail, but at the end the land will be the one to decide. And every year, every vintage time, you hope that the wine is the best one you have ever made. Today I feel part of this world. My land, my seasons and my efforts are found in my wine. This is a feeling that repays all the work and all the efforts made for creating that bottle."
The origins of the placename Caparzo are still unknown. According to some people, the name should derive, as shown by ancient maps, from Ca’ Pazzo; according to others, the term should derive from the Latin Caput Arsum and should indicate a “place touched by the sun”. The beginning of the history of Caparzo dates back to the end of the sixties, when a group of friends, fond of Tuscany and of wine, purchased an old ruin with vineyards at Montalcino. We are at the dawning of Brunello di Montalcino, the Association has just been set up and the producers-bottlers are only 13. The farm estate was renovated, modernised and new vineyards were planted.
In a short time, Caparzo was able to impose itself on the market of Brunello. Thirty years passed from the first rows of vines and from the first cellar experiences. In 1998, the farm estate came to a turning point when Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini purchased Caparzo. She immediately carried out her objectives: combine tradition with innovation to create a high-quality wine, expression of an excellent territory, with the help of her son, Igino, and daughter, Alessandra.

THE LAND, ITS FRUITS

THE LAND, ITS FRUITS

The plants are trained with the system called “spurred cordon” and the density is equal to 5,000 plants per hectare on average. The vineyards are carefully looked after during the whole growth cycle. Nothing is left to chance. Each operation is strictly carried out by expert hands. Before picking the grapes by hand, they are field-selected in order to check the perfect ripening and flawless clusters. Harvesting starts with white grapes for the production of “Le Grance” at the beginning of September, continues with red grapes from the third week and ends mid October with white muscat, vine with ancient roots in the territory, that Caparzo interprets with late-vintage Moscadello di Montalcino d.o.c., in a very limited number of bottles. Caparzo covers an overall surface of 200 hectares including ca. 90 covered by vineyards, distributed on different hillsides of the borough of Montalcino, in the best areas of D.O.C.G. Caparzo, La Casa, La Caduta, Il Cassero and San Piero Caselle are located on a hilly area at a height ranging from 220 to 300 meters above sea level. Vigna Caparzo has a sandy-clayey composition; Vigna la Casa a shale-clayey (marl) one; La Caduta shale-renaceous rich in skeleton; Il Cassero sandy-stony and shale-clayey; San Piero Caselle sandy-clayey. The exposure of the vineyards, the nature of the lands and the microclimates of the areas give fullness, ageability and character to the Caparzo wines. According to tradition, Sangiovese grosso excels. Regardless of the different climate trends, the disposition of the vines and the different conformations of the grounds allow us to obtain very high-quality wines every year.

THE CELLAR: TRADITION WITH INNOVATION

THE CELLAR: TRADITION WITH INNOVATION

In no other place of the farm estate tradition and innovation perfectly combine as in the cellar. Here, the entire grapes are unloaded on a line that is able to separate automatically all the green parts that the destemmer is not able to remove. A selecting belt allows the specialised personnel to carry out another visual control on each berry. The capacity of the wine-making cellar exceeds 10,000 hectolitres. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats designed by us to support the traditional operations of temperature control, pumpover, délestage, pigeage and aeration by means of a computerised system. Here, wine technology is completely at the service of the manual ability of man. The capacity of the ageing cellar is ca. 6,000 hectolitres. The type of woods used varies according to the type of wine. Caparzo, according to tradition, uses only big barrels for classical products and i.e. Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G., Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G., Riserva and Rosso di Montalcino D.O.C. The ageing of the 2 “cru” is different: Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. Vigna La Casa passes the first 12 months in French durmast barriques and then 24 months in French durmast 30-hectolitre barrels; Rosso di Montalcino d.o.c. La Caduta, 12 months in French durmast 700-litre casks. Ageing is more modern for Cà del Pazzo, our Supertuscan, that ages 24 months in French durmast barriques and for Le Grance, complex dry white wine that passes 12 months in French durmast 350-litre casks. Late-vintage Moscadello di Montalcino D.O.C.G., traditional sweet wine, ages 24 months in French durmast barriques. The scrupulous care in the vineyard is transferred to the cellar working. The result? All you have to do is to open a bottle of Caparzo and you will find all the care and attention of a ritual that is repeated year in year out.

Our Production

Our Production

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Caparzo's Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is only produced in the finest vintages, from grapes
selected personally by winemaker Massimo Bracalente. The grapes are in part from from
vineyards located in the northern part of the Montalcino Appellation, at an elevation of 220
meters above sea level, and in part from vineyards south of Montalcino, at an elevation of
270 meters. In both cases the vineyards are on sandy-stony south-southeast facing Pliocene
terrains. The Riserva begins to show its best several years after bottling. Produced in limited
quantities, the Riserva is destined to especially passionate, attentive wine lovers. A classic,
complete Riserva able to awaken unique sensations in the most expert palates. The first
Caparzo Riserva Brunello di Montalcino DOCG was produced in 1980. The wine has the
capacity to age for up to 40 years.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna la Casa

Caparzo's Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna la Casa can be considered a true enological
gem, and not just in terms of Montalcino. La Casa derives its name from having been the
farm where some of the tenant farmers who worked for the owners of Palazzo Montosoli,
which is at a distance of a few hundred meters, lived. The first vintage of Brunello di
Montalcino Vigna La Casa was produced in 1977. At the time little was known of terroir, and
little attention was paid to the concept of zonation, which had only recently been introduced
to Montalcino. In this case Caparzo was once again a pace setter, producing a “Single
Vineyard” Brunello from one of the finest vineyards in the Appellation. With Brunello di
Montalcino La Casa, Caparzo also was one of the first wineries to introduce barriques to
Montalcino, producing a wine with an polite, elegant spirit. Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La
Casa is the fruit of a unique terroir, and expresses all of Caparzo's passion and experience
in producing excellent wines.

Brunello di Montalcino

Caparzo produced its first vintage of Brunello di Montalcino in 1970, when the situation in
Montalcino was very different than it is now. At the time there were only 13 wineries in
Montalcino, and this makes Caparzo one of the historic Brunello producers. The distinguishing
characteristic of Caparzo's Brunello di Montalcino is clearly the origin of its Sangiovese. Indeed,
the estate is one of the few in Montalcino that has vineyards in the various geographic areas of
the Appellation. What might seem to be just a detail is instead quite positive, because the
different locations of Caparzo's vineyards allow the estate to draw the most from the different
microclimates and terroirs present in Montalcino. The grapes harvested from the vineyards in
the various areas of the appellation are carefully selected to lay the foundations for a complex
wine that brings together all of the characteristics that make Brunello one of the the world's
most sought after wines.

Rosso di Montalcino La Caduta

La Caduta is the name of a splendid 7.5 hectare vineyard located to the south of Montalcino, a
part of which Caparzo decided to dedicate to the production of a Rosso di Montalcino cru.
Therefore, Rosso di Montalcino DOC La Caduta is a step above the average wine of the
Appellation, and represents an exception to the rule that considers Rosso di Montalcino to be
Brunello's younger brother; in this sense few other Rossi can compare to La Caduta.

Rosso di Montalcino DOC

Caparzo's Rosso di Montalcino DOC is made from grapes from our vineyards to the north and
south of Montalcino. The microclimates of the different zones allow us to obtain consistent
quality from vintage to vintage. A worthy alternative for the discerning consumer, Rosso di
Montalcino is harmonious, elegant, savory, and pairs well with foods.

Cà del Pazzo

On old maps, the place now known as Caparzo is called Cà del Pazzo, a name we have given
to a wine born of a selection of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon from our vineyards
located at Caparzo and San Piero Caselle. Cà del Pazzo was produced for the first time in
1982, and is therefore one of the first Supertuscans to have been produced in the the Brunello
production area. Produced only in the best vintages, and in limited quantities, it is destined to
especially passionate, attentive wine lovers.

Le Grance

The name Le Grance derives from the fortified buildings used in the Sienese countryside
during the middle ages to store agricultural goods: Caparzo decided to call the area of the
vineyards that yield this wine, which was first produced in 1985, 'Le Grance. Le Grance
provides a perfect example of how a winery located in an area renowned for great reds can
also produce a superb white. Originally made with just Chardonnay, in 1988 Sauvignon Blanc
and Traminer were added to enrich the blend. It continues to age nicely for 6 to 8 years after
the harvest. A true ageworthy white, in the style of the great wines from beyond the Alps.

Sangiovese Toscana

A single owner, a single winemaker, three cellars in the three principal
Tuscan wine making areas, a terrific synergy between Elisabetta Gnudi
Angelini's properties, but no common wine. To answer this lack, a new
Sangiovese IGT made from grapes from the three estates, Caparzo, Borgo
Scopeto and Doga delle Clavule. The family crest works surprisingly well to
illustrate the concept: the shield bears three roses that represent the three
estates.

Chardonnay Igt Toscana

A single property, a single oenologist, three different wine cellars in the three main wine-growing areas in Tuscany, a great synergy among the departments of Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini's property. This is the reason that led to the birth of this new Chardonnay Igt which was produced with grapes coming from the three estates: Caparzo, Borgo Scopeto and Doga delle Clavule. The historical family crest perfectly epitomizes the three estates: three roses on a shield that stand for the three wine cellars.

Moscadello di Montalcino

In the Brunello area Moscadello is an ancient tradition, though the use of the late harvesting
technique is more recent. Among the various historic references, in the XVII century
Francesco Redi mentioned Moscadello in his Ditirambo, calling it “That so divine and light
Moscadello di Montalcino.” The Moscato Bianco grapes harvested at the beginning of
October are pressed and the must obtained is fermented in French oak barriques.

Grappa di Brunello

MARC: distillate of fermented marc
of Sangiovese (Brunello)
DISTILLATION PERIOD: first days following devatting.
DISTILLATION SYSTEM: Discontinuous with steam flow.
ALCOHOLIC CONTENT: 42%
FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1980

Grappa Riserva

MARC: distillate of fermented marc
of a blend of white and red grapes.
DISTILLATION PERIOD: first days following devatting.
DISTILLATION SYSTEM: Discontinuous with steam flow.
MATURATION: 2 years in small durmast cask.
ALCOHOLIC CONTENT: 43%
FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 1995

La Casa is immersed in a wonderful landscape, on the Montosoli hill, within a stone’s throw from Montalcino. An ancient farm elegantly renovated preserving the fascinating characteristics of the Tuscan rural architecture. The La Casa farm holiday centre is named after the surrounding vineyards producing Brunello di Montalcino “Vigna La Casa”. Surrounded by a wide garden, it offers three pleasant flats, all well-kept and furnished in Tuscan style where, in addition to tradition, guests will find a satellite TV, fireplace and wood oven, independent heating, free laundry and all mod and cons. La Casa has a marvellous swimming pool with view over Val d’Orcia and Montalcino.
After careful quality selections, the Movimento Turismo del Vino (Wine Tourism Movement) assigned Caparzo the “Accoglienza coi Fiocchi” (Excellent Welcome) marking, a quality certification that is another guarantee for the wine tourist.
For further information and booking:0039 0577 848390 or caparzo@caparzo.com

HOW TO REACH CAPARZO

FROM THE NORTH: Motorway A1, towards Rome - Naples. Exit at Firenze Certosa and take the (SS) national road to Siena. Exit at Siena Sud and follow the indications to SR2 Cassia towards Rome. After passing the town of Buonconvento, turn right towards Montalcino. Cover 1.7 km of the SP (provincial road) of Brunello, turn left and continue on the first road for ca.3 km following the indications to Caparzo.
FROM THE SOUTH: Motorway A1, towards Florence - Milan. Exit at Chiusi- Chianciano Terme and follow the indications to Chianciano Terme. After passing Chianciano Terme, follow the indications to Montepulciano. After ca. 9 km turn left towards Pienza - San Quirico d’Orcia, follow the indications to SR2 Cassia towards Siena until Torrenieri (do not follow the signs to Montalcino). After passing Torrenieri continue on the SR2 towards Buonconvento. Just before Buonconvento turn left towards Montalcino. Cover 1.7 km of the SP (provincial road) of Brunello, turn left and continue on the first road for ca. 3 km following the indications to Caparzo.